DeVos, Betsy, 1958-

<p>Elisabeth Dee DeVos (/dəˈvɒs/ də-VOSS; née Prince; born January 8, 1958) is an American former government official who served as the 11th United States secretary of education from 2017 to 2021. DeVos is known for her support for school choice, school voucher programs, and charter schools. She was Republican national committeewoman for Michigan from 1992 to 1997 and served as chair of the Michigan Republican Party from 1996 to 2000, with reelection to the post in 2003. She has advocated for the Detroit charter school system and she is a former member of the board of the Foundation for Excellence in Education. She has served as chair of the board of the Alliance for School Choice and the Acton Institute and headed the All Children Matter PAC.</p>

<p>DeVos is married to former Amway CEO Dick DeVos. Her brother, Erik Prince, a former U.S. Navy SEAL officer, is the founder of Blackwater USA. Their father is billionaire industrialist Edgar Prince, founder of the Prince Corporation. In 2016, the family was listed by Forbes as the 88th-richest in America, with an estimated net worth of $5.4 billion.</p>

<p>On November 23, 2016, then-President-elect Donald Trump announced that he would nominate DeVos to serve as Secretary of Education in his administration. On January 31, following strong opposition to the nomination from Democrats, the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions approved her nomination on a party-line vote, sending her nomination to the Senate floor. On February 7, 2017, she was confirmed by the Senate by a 51–50 margin, with Vice President Mike Pence breaking the tie in favor of her nomination. This was the first time in U.S. history that a Cabinet nominee's confirmation was decided by the vice president's tiebreaking vote.</p>

<p>On January 7, 2021, DeVos tendered her resignation as education secretary as a result of the 2021 storming of the United States Capitol, saying to President Trump in her resignation letter, "There is no mistaking the impact your rhetoric had on the situation." Her resignation took effect on January 8, 2021, twelve days before her term would have ended.</p>

<p>Elisabeth “Betsy” DeVos is a proven leader, an innovator, a disruptor and an advocate. In education, in business and in politics, Betsy has been a pioneer in fighting to remove barriers, to enact change and to create environments where people have the opportunity to thrive.</p>

<p>Betsy DeVos is the former Chairman of The Windquest Group, a privately held investment and management firm based in Michigan with a diversified consumer product and service portfolio.</p>

<p>Active in politics for more than 35 years, Betsy was elected chairman of the Michigan Republican Party four times, and she has served in numerous leadership roles with campaigns, party organizations, and political action committees. Today, her political efforts are focused on advancing educational choices.</p>

<p>Elisabeth “Betsy” Dee Prince was born on January 8, 1958, in Holland, Michigan. Her father was Edgar Prince, a billionaire industrialist and founder of the Prince Corporation. In 1979, Betsy received a Bachelor of Arts in business economics from Calvin College. The same year, she married Dick DeVos, Jr, who was the son of the founder of Amway, a marketing company for home, beauty, and health products.</p>

<p>Betsy and Dick DeVos are wealthy, conservative Christians who are active in Republican Party politics. She was a campaign volunteer for President Gerald Ford in 1976 and served as chair of the Michigan Republican Party from 1996 to 2000. She and her husband have also raised considerable funds for Republican candidates.</p>

<p>In 1989, the DeVoses founded Windquest Group, a private investment and management company. The same year, Betsy pioneered the Dick and Betsy DeVos Family Foundation, dedicated to donating to Christian organizations, charter schools, and universities. As a supporter of school choice and school vouchers, DeVos is a champion for families having access to federally funded vouchers to finance private or charter school education.</p>

<p>In November 2016, President Donald Trump nominated DeVos as the 11th US Secretary of Education. Many criticized Trump’s choice of DeVos as education secretary because of her lack of experience in public education or in the classroom. As a long-time advocate for school choice, DeVos strongly supported private, religious schools, and critics worried that she might weaken public schools. The US Senate confirmed her on February 7, 2017, after Vice President Mike Pence cast the tie-breaking vote, 51-50. Secretary DeVos has been controversial appointment as she has worked to roll back Title IX protections that guide how colleges and universities handle sexual assault complaints, to weaken protections for LGBT, minority, and disabled students, and to suspend rules to protect students at for-profit colleges.</p>